whispers in the dark
by colorshow
Summary: It began with the girl who loved books, and the boy who stayed hidden in the house at the end of the street. It started with a key and a secret. But how would it all end? He didn't know, because she was the beauty and he was just the beast. Inspired by The Beauty And The Beast in modern day Rosewood. a/u.
1. prologue

**a/n:** This is what I'd like to refer to as a 'fic experiment', I really want to know what you guys think of this and if you want me to continue it.

This is a story very loosely inspired by Beauty and The Beast in modern day Rosewood. This won't interrupt updates of _always in the twilight_ because that is my first priority and this is simply a side project that should be about fifteen chapters.

I hope to have the first chapter written by next week before I leave for a week and become very busy until the end of July, but reviews are a good motivator, so if people like this short prologue I'll try to get it up pretty quick!

Thanks, enjoy, and let me know what you think!

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**whispers in the dark**

**prologue**

**by colorshow**

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He traces the rim of the glass in his hands, desperately resisting the urge to throw it against the wall and watch the glass splinter in to a hundred pieces. He had blown it. He had ruined it all.

Toby Cavanaugh had told someone he loved them, but _didn't_ he know his heart was made of glass, and that everyone said that he had no capability to love? He should have _never _fell so hard.

She found her way in, and she had made him want to be something other than the beast. But it was too,_ too_ hard. It was_ too_ hard to love, in the words of the girl he loved, _hope breeds eternal misery._

Looking down forlornly at the well-worn copy of To Kill A Mockingbird she gave him he reflected on the fact she had seen him, _because you're just the Boo Radley of Rosewood Toby, you aren't as awful as everyone thinks you are._

But he was, wasn't he? But he couldn't let her go, he _wouldn't_ let her go. She was too special, but entirely too special for him. Her lips too soft to even dare seek his lips, but yet again they had just hours ago.

He whispered the words and she ran. Ran like his dad, leaving his estranged son alone. His mom left as well, all to soon. His sanity seemed to have left him long ago as well.

With a shake of his head he downed the glass of clear liquid in his hand.

And with a strangled cry he throws the glass against the wall watching as the crystals break into a million pieces.

With a shake of his head he tries to contain his tears, because when have things ever been good to him? And where did his fucking silver lining get lost?

She had been the only good thing to come along in such a long time, and where did it all begin anyways?

It began with the girl who loved books, and the boy who stayed hidden in the house at the end of the street. It started with a key and a secret. But how would it all end? He didn't know, because she was the beauty and he was just the beast.

But still he hoped she'd come back to him because he already had eternal misery, didn't he?

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Love it, Like it, Hate it? Let me know in a review! I'm also on tumblr as **adarkromance**. Come feel free to follow me and ask about any of my stories!


	2. preconceived notions

a/n: Thanks for all those reviews! I hope you like this, I worked hard to get it out before my vacation. Don't be alarmed if there isn't an update for a week, I'm going to be gone for a week and then volunteer for two weeks everyday, but then at least I'll have time to write. After that though there should be fairly regular updates!

Please review, if you do I'll try extra hard to have that chapter up soon when I get back. Also check out my other story _always in the twilight_! And I'm also on tumblr as** adarkromance**!

The more you review/favorite/follow the more inspired to write I become.

I hope you enjoy let me know what you think!

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**whispers in the dark**

**chapter one**

**preconceived notions**

**by colorshow**

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"Spencer, I know you don't want to do this, but I owe a debt to his father." Mr. Hastings sighed.

Crossing her arms in front of her chest Spencer stood up from her chair "So I'm supposed to tutor the ghost at the end of the street just to settle one of your debts, why do I have to fix your mistakes dad." she spit angrily.

Her dad sighed, running his hands through his hair, "I know, but Mr. Cavanaugh promised that nothing would happen to you, just because his son is a little estranged doesn't mean he's the devil Spencer."

Spencer shook her head "Dad, no one's seen him leave that house in a year, he's not just _estranged_ dad. He spent two years in Radley and his mom committed suicide." she sneered.

"I thought you liked a challenge Spencer, you go and tutor him for three hours every other day for three months over the summer and then your done. This does count for volunteering hours too, that much tutoring will look great on your college applications." He tried desperately, causing Spencer to throw her arms up in the air.

"So, I get it, you made this deal with Mr. Cavanaugh to try to cover up the tracks of whatever the hell it is you did and figured you kind of got a little bit out of it. Because it wasn't _you_ paying the debt, it was your daughter, who - _look at that-_ could get something_ out_ of it. More volunteer hours! I'm not even a junior yet dad!" Spencer ranted.

"Your doing this and it's final Spencer. I'm sorry." he said, attempting to put a hand on her shoulder. Spencer refused to look at him and pushed his hand off of her shoulder, making sure to slam the door as she left.

* * *

"I'm serious Aria, he's making me do this!" Spencer lamented to her friend over the phone.

"That's some serious shit, I'd come over but..." Aria trailed off.

"I know your over at Ezra's."

"You don't have to say it so loud! I can sleepover tomorrow though, do you have to tutor him tomorrow already?" Aria asked.

Letting out a muffled yes Spencer collapsed unto her bed.

"Just call me if things get scary, okay?"

"Yeah, I will. Let's just hope people don't found out about this, as though I need to be kicked even lower on the social status pole." Spencer groaned.

"Spence, we don't have much farther to fall, we're the drama geek and the overachieving nerd. Plus, popularity doesn't matter, at least not to us, remember?" Aria said.

"I know Aria. It's just, I don't know this seems really out of character for my dad. He cares a lot about reputation, and this is going to create a lot of talk. He's hiding something huge, and that makes me nervous." Spencer responded.

"You don't always need to play super sleuth, you know? But I agree it's strange. Maybe Toby will know something, if he's, you know, sane." The other girl responded.

Letting out an angry groan Spencer said "You know, you're making me nervous, you're supposed to be helping!"

"I'm sorry! Maybe he'll be nice, you never know!" Aria exclaimed, the line when silent for a minute, despite Spencer's calls into the phone, at least judging by the giggle coming from the other end her friend was occupied.

"I'll call you back Aria, hope you enjoy your night" Spencer said sarcastically, hanging up the phone before her friend could respond.

To be honest Spencer knew nothing about Toby Cavanaugh, he hadn't attended Rosewood High since his mother died, Spencer had only ever been at the same school as him in Middle School. A time where she had braces, acne, and thick rimmed glasses.

Still to this day she was the dorky overachiever, and still to this day her only friend was Aria, who only hung around Spencer and her drama club friends.

Of course currently Aria was seeing their high school English teacher, who she had once accidentally made out with at a bar. Now it was summer so it wasn't so scandalous, even though Spencer had to agree it was incredibly hot she knew that Aria was way in over her head.

Aria was ever the romantic optimist, which Spencer was not.

Tutoring Toby Cavanaugh would go one way, unfortunately Spencer wasn't positive what way that was exactly. Hopefully it was a way that was _somewhat_ tolerable.

But Spencer couldn't help but feel nervous, or maybe a better word was scared. No one knew what Toby Cavanaugh was really like, there sure as hell was enough rumors to clue Spencer in somewhat but no one would be able to outright tell you what Toby was like.

Because no one in there right mind was insane enough to even dare approach him.

He'd spent two years in Radley as well, which was a synonym for _the place they send insane people_. He hadn't been seen in public since he'd been released from Radley either, Spencer figured she'd be the first person to have associated with him in a long time.

To make matters even creepier, if that was possible, he lived in a huge mansion at the end of Oakwood Road which his dad pretty much kept him locked in. The only occupants being him and his father, and the cleaning lady on Wednesdays.

Of course she should no better than to make presumptions, the heroine in any good novel never wasted her time on going off what other people say, she made her own conclusions.

And Spencer would do just that.

Ever since she was younger Spencer found refuge in books, dreaming that she was the heroine that kicked ass and made a guy fall heads over heels for her while she did it.

So maybe she got made fun of for always having her head buried in a book, but the way she saw it her time was better utilized by reading than pouring over the newest facebook gossip or obsessing over a celebrity's instagram. Okay, her classmates made fun of her, but one day when she was in an ivy league college and they were serving french fries at McDonald's she knew they wouldn't be the ones laughing.

Besides, books made much better friends than bitches like Alison DiLaurentis and Jenna Marshall, who her and Aria often referred to as the 'demon queens of Rosewood', two manipulative bitches who always got what they wanted.

Well, Aria was _probably_ a better friend than a book, but she was her best friend. And at least Aria appreciated classic literature, the two often discussed books together, or watched black and white movies, or went to see local plays.

But sometimes she wanted that fairytale romance, with the prince who swept her off her feet. Which was childish and so damsel in distress like it made her want to cringe, but what girl didn't want that kind of romance?

Aria had a romance that was practically like a movie with Ezra Fitz, but what did Spencer have?

Lonely nights filled with a warm mug of Chai Tea and a good book. Which she enjoyed, but sometimes she just wanted... more. Was that so bad?

Stashing away her sobering thoughts she knew she had to get ready for tomorrow.

Physically and Mentally.

She'd give it a shot, and try to keep an open mind.

* * *

Damn it was hard to keep an open mind.

Standing on the doorstep of the Cavanaugh house Spencer nervously adjusted the bag of books on her shoulder. The house was well maintained, which shouldn't be a surprise, given how wealthy the Cavanaugh's were. Spencer would know her dad bitched constantly about his rival with the Cavanaugh law firm.

That just made Spencer even more desperate to know why exactly her dad needed to do a favor for Mr. Cavanaugh.

What was her father not telling her? Of course, her dad had never been exactly open with her. Actually her both of her parents had never been open with her. Spencer always felt as if they were hiding something from her.

The only reason she didn't put up as much of a fight to be forced to pay her dad's debt for her was because she just wanted to make her dad appreciate her.

It was no secret that the object of all her parents affections was Spencer's older sister Melissa, who was always the_ perfect_ child who got_ perfect_ grades and was absolutely_ perfect_ in every way. Not only did she attend her parent's alma matter, UPenn, but Melissa was also the epitome of beauty in her parents eyes, and attracted many men who were doctors and lawyers that her parents just adored.

Spencer was none of those things. She'd never be those things to her parents.

It had been a minute since she rang the doorbell, what was taking him so long? Shifting nervously she knocked on the door, "Hello, Um... Is someone here?" she asked.

After hearing a few muffled sounds, the door finally opened.

The lock on the door prevented it from opening fully but Spencer could see the blue eyes peaking through the crack. Eyes that Spencer had to admit were in fact, very pretty.

"Um...one second." The figure, who she assumed was Toby, said. His voice was surprisingly gentle, it sounded nothing like she thought it would. But yet again, how can you imagine how a person sounds?

After the gentle click of the lock the door swung open once again, giving her a full view of Toby.

She tried to keep her face expressionless, trying not to show just how attractive she found him. With his sandy blond spiked hair, and his what appeared to be well muscled body he was nothing like she thought he'd look.

"You can come in, I'm guessing you don't want anyone to see you, so I'd hurry." He said somewhat sarcastically, causing Spencer to frown. "I know what you were thinking. It's fine. Come on in." he continued. Closing the door behind her as she stepped inside.

"I know your name and you know mine, so I'm guessing we don't need awkward introductions." he said, Spencer nodded subconsciously as she took in the spacious entry hall, the crystal chandelier casting shadows on the wall.

Clearing her throat she focused her gaze on him, "I rang the doorbell and I was waiting for a minute." she pointed out.

Toby nodded "Sorry, it gets old from disuse, I'll try to fix it."

Shaking her head Spencer said "You don't need to do that, I can knock."

"No, I really do need to fix it. Anyway, um, do you want to bring your stuff to the living room, we can study in there." Toby offered, leading her to the living room when he saw Spencer nod in agreement.

"That's fine. We don't have a lot to do today, I don't try to make anyone cram stuff in on their first day."

"That's smart. My last tutor was an old professor from Hollis, he smelt kind of like mildew and talked in a monotone voice. Believe me your an upgrade." he said smiling at her. She really didn't know if she should feel as flattered as she did, he seemed somewhat charming, in the whole 'recluse' sort of way, plus he had very nice dimples to compliment his smile.

"Yeah. Well don't make any judgments so quickly. It can backfire." Spencer teased, causing him to smile.

"Well, I assume you've made a few presumptions about me." Toby said, looking at her, his blue eyes seemed to pierce through her soul. She wasn't sure if she liked that or not either.

Looking down at her feet, she tried to find a good way to respond that didn't make her sound like a judgmental bitch. "It's human to make preconceived notions." She responded.

He gave her a gentle smile as they sat down in the vast, but cozy living space. "That's a good way to put it. Most people would've just said there's a hell of rumors about me."

Spencer shrugged, focusing instead on pulling the books they'd need for today from the bag at her feet.

"So, I thought we'd start with To Kill A Mockingbird. It's a good classic to start with, we'll go over basic comprehension and I'll probably ask you to write a paper if your still struggling with the concept." Spencer explained, handing him a copy of the book.

"I know this book from front to back. Believe me, we don't need to go over this." Toby stated, giving her a steely look. The sudden change in his personality shocked Spencer, he went from kind and joking to serious the next moment. Of course, that wasn't really anything strange. Maybe she just struck a nerve.

"Okay, then tell me the two main themes of the book." Spencer remarked, giving him a small smile.

Letting out a sigh Toby seemed to relax a bit "The main theme is prejudice, how it is reflected in racial conflict and everyday unknown conflict. Tom Robinson is put on trial for raping Mayella Ewel, even though he did nothing. Atticus Finch defends him in a court case and loses, causing his children to evaluate their city as a whole. It's told through the eyes of Scout, who has a different view of things. They also talk about Boo Radley, who I really don't think I need to explain, considering I'm Rosewood's Boo Radley." Toby explained, causing Spencer to go wide eyed.

Nodding slightly she took the book from his hands "And why are you Rosewood's Boo Radley?" she asked.

"I'm apparently a crazy criminal who stays locked in his house all day. But I can assure you I'm not." Toby answered, keeping his blue eyes locked on hers.

No, he wasn't. Or he didn't seem to be anyway.

"Well, If it counts for anything you don't seem to be." Spencer murmured, removing her gaze from his. "Everyone thinks I'm bat shit crazy, that I care too much. That I'm a nerdy overachiever. I have one friend, one real friend anyway." she added, immediately regretting the words when they left her mouth, why was she retelling her life story to a almost complete stranger.

When she glanced over at him his gaze was still locked on hers, but it seemed somewhat softer this time. If that was the way to put it.

"That's a good way to be known, at least I think it is. Other than the bat shit crazy part, which you don't seem to be by the way. I don't have any friends. And people think I care too little. My dad thinks I'm as dumb as a bag of rocks, no offense but I probably didn't even need a tutor, I enjoy doing calculus in my spare time. When I was fourteen I actually figured out how to build my own robot and I was so proud of myself." Toby revealed, looking at her earnestly.

Spencer smiled at him "Well, then maybe you can show me that robot some time." she joked, causing him to smile and nod.

"I'd like that"

Spencer sighed "I didn't bring anything else, so um..." she trailed off.

Toby stood up "You can go if you want, at least for today. My old tutor used to make me do all the stuff anyway. Which I didn't appreciate. I could use help with French though, that's something you can't home school yourself on, at least not easily." he added as an afterthought.

"I can do that." Spencer agreed as the two walked towards the door.

Looking at him nervously Spencer wanted to say what was on her mind, "I'm sorry I judged you, you're honestly nothing like I thought you'd be. You're actually _a lot_ nicer than a lot of the assholes in my class."

This caused Toby to smile, "Maybe we can try being friends, I've never had a friend you know." he said shyly, giving her a nervous look.

"I'd_ really_ like that."

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So what do you think, love it, like it, hate it? Let me know in a review, I try to respond to everyone! I'm also on tumblr as **adarkromance**. Feel free to chat with me anytime!


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